


Let us sail to the Nine Realms

by Aquafolie



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bad Ideas, Fights, Fluff, Inappropriate Erections, Kidnapping, Loki Does What He Wants, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pirates, Post Iron Man 3, Space Pirates, Tony Stark Still Has Arc Reactor, Tony and Loki being gay(TM), Tony has no sense of self preservation, Tony is being a smartass, fic with art, mentions of BDSM, mentions of panic attack
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-18
Updated: 2018-05-18
Packaged: 2018-12-16 22:45:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11838546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aquafolie/pseuds/Aquafolie
Summary: Okay so Tony was known for his genius intellect and his brilliant ideas but maybe going to talk alone to a psychotic Norse god wasn't his best one? But then again how could he have known that talking to the guy was actually gonna make him end up on the other side of the galaxy, playing pirates to try and get back to earth?Hiding in Midgard had definitely been a bad idea. Letting himself be distracted by Tony Stark an even worse one. Lately, it seemed that Loki only made poor life decisions. Nothing ever went his way, it was very frustrating. The Man of Iron was very frustrating too. Loki was very frustrated.





	1. Fancy meeting you here

**Author's Note:**

> This is just an excuse to write some pirate!Loki and Tony because I'm trash.

“ Oh, shit!!”

Tony barely had the time to take cover before the missile blew up. He managed to avoid the fire, but the strong blast still threw him against the wall and he groaned from the pain. He let out a strained sigh. He wasn’t feeling very well these last few days… in fact he didn't remember ever having so much trouble with something as simple as a missile before.

He had been trying to add this new weapon to his suit but hadn't been able to stabilize the components, in three days of work… he was starting to get very frustrated with himself.

“ Are you okay, sir? Do I need to call medical support?”

“ Don't be ridiculous, Jarvis, we’ve had worse before. Way worse.”

Tony looked at his lab. The explosion had destroyed a big part of the table where the missile was before it exploded, but it was still standing. Pretty remarkable. The components were ruined, of course, and some burned metal lied here and there. Some of his tools were definitely ruined too. Dum-E was already approaching with his little broom and shovel.

“ Maybe I should take a break.”

“ I think that would be wise, sir.”

“ Tony! I heard an explosion, are you alright?”

Steve came in with a worried look on his face. Tony smiled at him.

“ I’m alright Cap, no big deal.”

“ You look tired.”

“ Yeah, I was just about to take a break.”

Steve looked surprised but didn't comment. It really wasn't like Tony to let down something after it didn't work out as he had planned. Usually he’d pulled all nighters until the problem was solved. The Avengers often had to take turns to actually drag Tony away from the lab and force him to eat and get some sleep. But Tony wasn't feeling like working on this anymore, it made him feel like shit not to succeed at the one thing he was supposedly good at. What he needed was some strong booze and awesome sex.

Something that would blow his brains out and make him forget about his problems.

 

 

***

 

 

Okay so maybe the sex had been a little too intense. Tony looked at his reflexion in the mirror. He was covered in little bruises and bite marks. His arms were sore from having been tied to the bed frame and his ass still ached from having been pegged by his lover all night until she completely fucked his brains out.

The advantage of BDSM is that it always had the incredible power to make him forget about everything but the crazy excitement and pleasure he was feeling. Being the submissive one allowed him to obey commands without having to think, and he had found out a few years ago that it was quite a turn on for him to be bossed around in bed sometimes, once in a while.

With a sly smile, he decided to go take his breakfast topless to show off his night time activities, and see Steve’s reaction. He didn't disappoint. Steve choked on his coffee when he saw Tony, and actually had to leave the room so he could get a hold of himself, much to Tony’s amusement.  
Natasha just raised an eyebrow at him.

  
“ Please have some decency and stop wandering half naked around the house.”

“ Come on Tasha”, he teased, “I know you love it.”

She didn't even deign to reply, just finished her apple and left the room without another word.

 

  
“ Mr Stark, there’s an incoming call from director Fury.”

“ Can’t he wait til i’ve finished my breakfast? “

“ He says it’s urgent.”

“ Should I call the other Avengers?”

“ I already did, sir.”

“Didn't expect any less from you Jarvis. Put him through.”

Fury’s head suddenly appeared in the kitchen while the other Avengers were gathering behind Tony.

“Good morning Avengers”, he talked with the same expressionless tone as always, staring them down with his single eye. “We’ve spotted Loki in New York.”

“ What is he doing, what did he do?!” Clint asked without missing a beat

“ Nothing yet, he appears to be taking a walk.”

“ I don't think we should engage” Steve said “if he isn't here to pick a fight, starting one with him would only put the civilians’ life in danger.”

“ Yes", Fury agreed "but I still want us to be prepared in case he suddenly decides to act out. He’s an unstable and unpredictable individual, i don’t think we should let anything to chance. I want Agent Roumanoff to follow him and make sure he isn't up to anything….villainous. And if you manage to get him alone, try to capture him. He’s still a wanted criminal.”

“ I don't think we should spy on him”, interjected Tony.

“What are you saying Mr Stark?”

“Well as you said, he’s pretty unstable and unpredictable. We don't know how he’d react if he notices we’re spying on him….not to question Natasha’s spying capacities but we are talking about a highly skilled sorcerer here, we don't know the full extent of what he’s capable of….”

“So what do you propose exactly?”

“I think we should approach him directly. Like in a non-offensive way. Try to find out what he’s up to, let him know that we know he’s here…”

“ Are you suggesting having a _conversation_ with him?!”

“ Uh….yeah?”

Everyone looked at him in a stunned silence.

“ I can be the one to talk to him, I think he kinda likes me. Well as much as Loki can like anybody. We had quite the conversation in the Stark tower last time.”

“Oh, you mean the conversation where he actually _threw you out of a freaking window_?!” Clint asked, exasperated

“Okay, admittedly it didn't end that well…but he was pretty chatty.”

“Are you serious right now, Stark?” Fury asked, incredulous

“Hmmm…..may I talk?”

Everyone turned to look at Bruce who cleared his throat with an uncomfortable look on his face.

“I… I think I agree with Tony. I also think Tony should be the one to do it.”  
Another stunned silence before everyone started talking at once.

“This is completely insane, what the hell are you talking about?!” Clint said

“Thanks Bruce, I knew I could count on you”, winked Tony

“This is ridiculous, we can’t send an untrained civilian like Stark face a completely unstable psychopath without…”

“I still think spying on him is the best option!”

“No, Loki can’t be apprehended that way…”

“You wanna send someone as infuriating as Tony to talk with someone as unstable as Loki? Don’t be absurd…”

“Agent Roumanoff? You’re awfully quiet.”

Everyone shut up to look at Natasha. She hadn't said a word, she was frowning as if she was thinking pretty hard about the problem and not really liking the answer she came up with, desperately trying to find another way. She sighted.

“I think Tony is right-“

“ ** _WHAT_**?” Everyone said, even Tony.

If he was pretty convinced about his plan, he would never have guessed that Natasha Roumanoff of all people would agree with it.

“ Think about it”, she said. “Tony is the best person to engage a conversation with Loki. With all due respect, I don’t think he likes Steve that much, and let’s not even talk about Thor. Clint has a personal vendetta against him so he’s compromised and even if he hadn't, we’re both only human, even if highly trained, we’re no match for a god. We can’t risk Bruce to hulk out in the middle of New York and with their last encounter, I don't think Loki would be very comfortable with having a conversation with him either way. At least if Loki starts getting violent, Tony can call his him armor to him thanks to the new transplants he put inside his body, to protect himself while we arrive.”

Tony grinned at Fury on the screen.

“So? What’s it's gonna be?”

Fury let out an exasperated sight.

“Well then, don’t forget to take your comm so we can join you at all time, and everyone stay put and ready to intervene if everything goes south.”

With that, he cut the feed just in time not to watch Tony give him a triumphant smile.

 

 

***

 

  
“Target is in sight”

Loki was walking in the crowd looking relaxed. Or maybe not totally relaxed, he was frowning ever so slightly, and looking sometimes over his shoulder.  
Interesting…  
He was wearing a black suit with a green scarf. Classic. He probably didn't want to stand out in the crowd but still had to keep his emblematic colors. What a drama queen.

Tony came out of his suit of armor and let it fold itself in the empty alley where he had landed. Wearing just his casual clothes (a Black Sabbath t-shirt and jeans) he came out of the alley into the main road, leaned against the wall and waited for Loki to spot him while approaching. He saw the exact moment the other man recognized him.

  
“Fancy meeting you here” he said with his most charming smile as Loki stopped in front of him.

  
He raised an eyebrow at Tony.

“Stark.”

“What're you doin' here?”

“Did SHIELD send you?”

“They wanted to send you Natasha but I sent myself instead.”

“Ahh the Widow…” he said with a smile, “would have made more sense. I'm surprised they let you come face me unarmed.”

Loki studied Tony as if he could see inside his mind. Tony grinned at him

“Well, what can I say? They just couldn't resist my charms”, he said winking

Loki let out an amused smile.

“And tell me, Man of Iron” he said with a velvet voice while slowly approaching Tony, who straightened himself against the wall, “what made you so…eager to meet with me today?”

“I just thought you’d react better if instead of spying on you, we were straight forward and told you we knew you were here and were prepared to protect our city if you plan to invade it again, and remind you what happened the last time your tried. Do you plan on destroying my city again?” He asked, dead serious, all playfulness gone from his features.

“Worry not Avengers, I don't-“

He stopped abruptly, he eyes suddenly glowing green, all sense in alert, muscles tensed.

”I need to go”, he said, turning away quickly

”Wait!“ Tony shouted grabbing Loki’s arm, "we haven’t-"

Loki flipped his body at an incredible speed and seized Tony by the neck, teleporting them in the back alley as to not bring attention to their struggle. He slammed the mortal against the wall.

“I don't have time for this”, he hissed

  
Tony wasn’t touching the ground, yet the way Loki was holding him seemed completely effortless, he wasn't squeezing, wasn’t even strangling him. To be honest, it was kinda hot….  
Oh no.

  
No, no, no, no, no…

  
Tony was getting one of the most inappropriate boner of his lifetime. He had had plenty of those but getting one while being strangled by an enemy was certainly a first. He blamed muscle memory from last night, getting this warm feeling of a hand on his neck was turning him on, and the strong sensation of power emanating from Loki wasn’t exactly helping his case either. He also blamed the black suit, that was making Loki’s ass look absolutely exquisite. A thought he had carefully put aside since the beginning of their encounter so he wouldn't be distracted while they talked.

Well shit.

That was going amazingly well.

He was so preoccupied with his erection that he didn't even think for one second that he probably should have been scared and call his IronMan suit to him before Loki decided to snap his neck in two.

“Listen carefully, Man of Iron”, Loki said, getting dangerously close, “I don’t need anyone meddling with my business and much less a morta-“

  
Aaaaannd fuck. Loki had gotten so close that he had felt Tony’s erection against his belly. He looked down in surprise.

  
“What-“

  
Tony took advantage of the god’s confusion to call his armor to him. It came flying from the other corner of the alley where it was hidden and wrapped itself around his body. He blasted Loki with his repulsors and Loki stumbled backward, away from him. He looked furious about having been caught off guard. Tony charged up his repulsors and aimed at Loki.

  
“I would really appreciate it if you stopped strangling me for every conversations we have”, Tony said

  
“Why, you seemed to be rather enjoying it”, replied Loki with a smirk, his hand charging up with magic energy

  
“Stand down."

“Move out of the way and we won't have to fight.”

“As if I’d let y-“

A ray of black energy hit Loki in the arms and he screamed as the black was taking a hold of his arm. The green magic that was gathering in his palm suddenly went out.

“What the fuck?”

“You can’t escape now, Trickster” said the black hooded figure that sent the black stuff on Loki

He let out a frustrated groaned, and glared accusingly at Tony. A very confused Tony, who was wondering what. The. Fuck?! was happening??

“Guys? Where are you? We have a situation here, new unknown hostile individual.”

“Well right now he only attacked Loki so maybe he’s on our side?” Clint’s voice came through the comm

Spoke too soon, the hooded figure send another black magic beam, but this time toward Tony. The dark patterns invaded the armor’s surface and the lights of the repulsors went out.

“Uuuuuh….Guys? I can't move….need a little help right about now…”

“I see you found an ally”, remarked the Mystery Guy with his strange metallic voice. “Not that it will do you any good.”

“Hold one Tony”, said Steve, “we’re coming”

“Hey wait a minute I’m not his all-“

Then everything went black. He thought he heard the hooded guy laughing. And Loki’s exasperated “stupid mortal”. Or maybe that was just his imagination? He fell unconscious.

 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed this first chapter!  
> English isn't actually my native language, I'm writing this fic to try and get better with practice (and because I'm a Frostiron trash - clearly). So I hope there isn't too many mistakes/weird sentences. I also don't have any beta readers so if you're interested in beta reading this fic for me, message me! That would be a life saver!
> 
> This is the first fic I've ever written, I don't know how long it's gonna be, nor how often I'm gonna update, I'm waiting to see people's reaction to the first chapter. Don't hesitate to comment your thoughts!


	2. Cellmates

  
Loki watched as the mortal slowly awoke. Tony let out a pained groan.

“What….what the hell?”

Loki didn't deign reply. He wasn’t sure if their current situation was merely an annoyance or actually distressing. The cuffs that locked his wrist was preventing him from using his magic, but so far, he didn't sense any imminent danger. Maybe the Man of Iron could prove resourceful if he needed a partner to plan their escape.

“What…where are we?”, Tony asked

“I believe we’re locked up in some kind of cell.” Loki replied, stating the obvious with a sarcastic tone.

“That’s not exactly the way I was looking forward to being tied up tonight.”

“I don't need to know about your…sexual preferences, Stark.” Loki said as he was reminded of the weird reaction the other man had had when Loki had strangled him earlier.

“Had a much more charming partner yesterday night too!”, remarked Tony before adding with a smirk “It’s really a pity. Though you do look pretty nice all chained up like this.”

Loki snarled at him.

“If you want my help to get out of here, you should start showing some respect” he warned

“Why would I need your help escaping? They're gonna realize they made a mistake and that we are not allies. And they’re gonna release me.”

“You don't actually believe that, do you?”

“No but a man can dream, am I right?”

“Maybe you should start taking this situation more seriously, Stark.”

“Well this isn't my first time being locked up. I’ll escape again. Also, I love seeing you tied up, it cheers me up a lot.”

If looks could kill, his cell partner would probably be dead by now.

“You're gonna need my help, if not to escape, then to go back to Midgard. And I'm less inclined to provide you with it by the minute.”

“What? What do you mean ‘go back to Midgard’?” Stark asked, worry finally gaining his features. “You mean we’re not on earth anymore!?”

Loki didn't reply, he was looking at Tony as if he was a particularly slow minded child.

“That guy….the hooded dude….he’s an alien right? Like you? Are we in outer space? How far from Earth _are_ we?”

Loki rolled his eyes.

“Talking to you is truly exhausting.”

“Well, sorry _princess_!”

They fell into a tensed silence, glaring at each other.

Loki tried again to gather his magic, but it wasn't responding to his command. Fortunately, he was familiar with this feeling, even before the battle in Midgard, sometimes Odin would punish him by making him wear magic binding cuffs after a particularly nasty trick. It always felt as if he had suddenly lost one of his senses, like if he’d suddenly go blind. Or deaf. It wasn’t pleasant, but it wasn't particularly distressing either now that he had learnt to rely on his other senses when he couldn't use his magic.

One other thing that he had learnt while wearing magic binding ties was that since they were necessarily magical too, they often had flaws. The ties were constructed to serve as some kind of net, that prevented the user from gathering magic. Since most users used their arms and hands to do magic, the net there was the most solid and dense, but you could find weak spots or even holes in some odd places of the body. Like the inside of the knee, the ears or the toes. Once, Loki had even been forced to gather magic in his… nipples. He preferred not to think about that.

Ever again.

Of course it was also naturally harder to perform magic from these places, but the god was skillful and with a little time, he knew he could do it. All he had left to do was to find this weak spot so he could get started (and wish for it not to be any weird place because Stark would definitely be insufferable if he witnessed Loki’s nipples - or say….his genitals- glowing with magic. Well if that was the case, he’d just have to kill the mortal, eliminate the witness. It would certainly be a pity though because he was going to need a partner if he wanted to get back to the Nine Realms).

Loki closed his eyes and concentrated. He had to make his magic flow in his body from head to toes, which proved kind of difficult since he couldn't actually feel his magic due to the cuffs. That’s why he needed to concentrate, because as soon as he felt even but a light tingle, he’d know where the weak spot of the net wa-

“Are you meditating?”Stark suddenly asked, breaking the silence and Loki’s concentration “Don’t you think we have more pressing matters right now?”

“Do you ever cease talking, Stark?!”

“Wow don’t look so annoyed. If you actually let me in on the situation and your brilliant plan to get us out of-“

“Us?”

“You’re the one who’s been talking about helping me escape since I woke up”

“I’m taking back the offer.”

“Might want to reconsider that. We’re in the same cell. If you’re not taking me with you when you escape, you’ll be damn sure I’ll stand in your way when you do.”

Loki was just about to reply when a guard entered their cell, followed shortly by Afghár.

“Loki of Asgard” he hissed with his metallic voice.

He took down his hood and fixed Loki with his four yellow eyes. Stark let out a chuckle.

“Oh, so that's why he was wearing a black hood. I thought he was being mysterious but he’s really just ugly?”

Loki couldn't help the amused chuckle that escaped him.

“Don't you have any regard for your own life, Stark?” He asked

“Why does everyone keep asking me that?”the human replied, looking falsely surprised

Without a warning, the guard punched Stark in the face. “Shut up.”

Tony groaned, and spat some blood on the ground.

“What a strange partner you have, thief” commented Afghár “he seems pretty eager to be beaten up. But I have no time to waste on this earthling. Take him” he ordered to the guard.

Loki’s cuff suddenly glowed bright gold and he felt his forces leave him. He fell on his knees and the guard pulled him up by the arm unceremoniously. He’d heard about this spell before. As they took him away, Loki started calculating. Because it was carved in a cuff that already had a magic binding spell, the weakening spell probably needed more time to charge up. Loki estimated about 5 to 7 hours, while the effects of the spells wouldn't last more than an hour maximum. That was probably how long the interrogation was gonna last….so that would leave him at least 4 more hours to try and figure out how to escape before they took him back to question him again. Hopefully, he’d be long gone by then.

With or without Stark.

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

Tony was left alone in the cell, his cheek still aching from the punch he had provoked. He really had a bad habit of making jokes and being a smart ass in the worst situations. He wouldn't have been able to tell how much time he waited like this, in the silence. The pain was slowly fading but he could feel his face was swollen.

Now that he was alone, he was starting to get rather anxious. The stillness of the room was growing more and more heavy by the minute. Wether or not he was ready to admit it, Loki’s presence had been kind of comforting… now that he was gone though, Tony could sense fear creeping up his back. He forced himself to breath slowly, to try and avoid a panic attack. He hadn't had any lately but then again, he hadn't really been locked up in a cell lately, much less in an unknown part of the galaxy, away from earth.

Breathe in, breathe out.

  
What he needed was a distraction, something to put his mind out of his current situation. He looked at the cuffs around his wrists. They didn't have any keyhole which meant that the system used to open and close them wasn’t mechanical. It probably relied on some kind of energy. Judging by the little symbols carved on them, probably magic. Though magic was just a way of calling technology too advanced for him to understand. Tony smiled. All technology had flaws, he could probably overwrite the system in some way or another…

Right now his knowledge of magic was pretty limited, he didn't exactly have a lot to work with. The only time he witnessed it was while fighting against Loki in the battle of New York. That time, Loki had tried to mind control him with his scepter but the arc reactor had acted as some kind of shield against his magic. Tony looked at his chest. A soft blue light was visible through his Black Sabbath shirt. He put his hand under his shirt and tapped lightly against the glass of his creation.

What he was about to do was making him anxious again, and he could feel the panic attack he had been keeping at bay threatening to overwhelm him once again. The cuffs and chains were making his movement awkward but he still managed to pull up his shirt and hold it with his chin while he was removing the reactor from its hole. After a few minutes of fiddling with the cables, he managed to disconnect it from the electromagnet. He let out a shaky breath. He had already gone without his arc reactor in worse situations than this so he knew he should have about 30 minutes before there would be any real danger to his life. That time should be plenty enough for him to perform what he had in mind, but it didn't stop his hand from shaking a little.

He hoped what he was about to do was gonna work, otherwise he had no idea how he was gonna get out of these cuffs…

 

 

  
***

 

 

Tony put the last piece in place and hoped for the best while activating the electric shock. The cuffs glowed bright blue for a second before falling open.

“Well I’ll be damned…”he huffed, not quite believing what he was seeing.

He wasn't really one to doubt his actions but he hadn't expected that to actually work. It offered incredible possibilities concerning magic that he couldn't wait to test and it was making him excited. He reminded himself that he had more pressing matters at hand and proceeded to put the reactor back in its place. It took him some time to reach down the hole in his chest and find where he had to plug his reactor in. By the time he was done, he could hear the guard approaching the cell.

Realizing that if the guard saw he had freed himself from the cuffs, he would be in great troubles, but unwilling to cuff them around his wrists again, he took the chains in his hands and hid his hands between his thighs. The guard threw Loki in the cell and left without sparring Tony a glance. He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

“Stark….are you…touching yourself?”

Loki’s voice was raw and he was covered in bruises and dried blood. He was looking at Tony, lying down on the floor as if he didn't even have the strength to straighten up. His black shirt was torn, and let appear pale skin covered in little cuts. Despite his physical condition, his eyes still shined with mischief and he didn't look tired at all.

“I…was bored?” Tony replied with a cheeky grin

Loki turned his head to the side and chuckled. He seemed grateful that Tony hadn't commented on his state.

“They’re gonna come back for you” Loki said after a moment of silence.

“Yeah, maybe I shouldn't have called the ugly guy ugly but he was truly hideous…”Tony commented with a frown.

This time Loki actually laughed. It was a quiet but genuinely amused laugh. Tony felt oddly satisfied that he had been the one to provoke that sound from the god of mischief himself. That thought made him uncomfortable and he cleared his throat.

“His name is Afghár and he is, indeed….unpleasant to look at.”

“What did you do to the guy? He seemed really…pissed at you.”

“I…may have stolen a valuable magical artifact from him” Loki replied, turning his head back to face Tony again.

Tony couldn't help but smile.

“Why am I not surprised?”

Loki returned his smile. It was a satisfied, toothy grin. He’s kinda pretty. Wait. _What the fuck._

“So” Tony said, changing the subject, “still not willing to help me escape?”

“And why would I do that?” The god asked, unimpressed

“Oh, I don’t know…”Tony replied, pulling his free hands from between his thighs where they had been hidden and resting them behind his head. “I thought maybe we could help each other.”

Loki looked stunned for a few seconds before he got a hold of himself and smiled at Tony.

“I have to admit, Man of Iron….I am quite impressed.”

“Did you just…praise me?!”

“Unless you can get me out of these cuffs, I can't help you right now. I'm still under a weakening spell, I don't have any strength in my body, even if I can feel it slowly fading” Loki continued, ignoring Tony’s remark. “The guard is gonna come back for you any minute now.”

With a groan, Loki managed to pull himself up against the wall.

“You okay there?” Tony asked, hesitant.

“The weakening spell is making me look worse than I actually am. Afghár is child play-“ Loki let his sentence drift off but Tony could hear the heavily implied ‘ _compared to…’_. Who? Tony wondered.

“I don't know when the guard will be coming back but I doubt i’ll have time to free you from your cuffs…I don't think we should risk it.”

Loki was studying him from across the cell. “Can you take down the guard? There is a key on his side, it will open the cuffs.”

“A key?”

“It's imbibed with magic.”

Just as Tony was about to reply, the guard came back to their cell. He got ready but Loki gave him a look, warning him to stand down for now. Tony wondered how he could understand the Asgardian with a simple look. As the guard was entering the cell, Loki stretched out his leg and tripped him.

“What the-” the guard swore, turning to face the prisoner who had dared defy him, his back to Tony.

“Now, Stark!” Loki shouted.

Tony jumped on his opponent, choking him from behind with his left arm. With his other hand, he grabbed the golden key that was hanging on the guard’s side and threw it at Loki. The god caught it and immediately freed himself from the cuffs. They opened in a flash of bright blue light as soon as the key touched their surface. Then another flash of light, green this time, and the guard fell on the floor.

“Is he dead?” Tony asked

“What do you think?”

“You could have just stunned him!” Tony argued angrily.

“Now is not the time to be overly sentimental, Stark” Loki answered, annoyed. His complexion was already looking better now that he was free from the magic binding and weakening ties, and his flesh wounds were even starting to fade. “We need to go. Now.”

Tony reminded himself that now that Loki was free, there was nothing stopping him from just ditching Tony and saving his own skin. He bit down whatever he had been about to say.

“Lead the way” he said instead

Loki smirked at him.  
And so it began: the grand escape.

 

 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed this second chapter!  
> I have no idea how long Tony can survive without the arc reactor and couldn't find any precise information on the internet so this is just my head canon on it.  
> I still need beta readers, so if anyone is interested.....:)


	3. The Grand Escape

“Can't you just teleport us out of here?”

“No.”

“You sure?”

“Yes.”

“Why not?”

“ Because that’s how it is, Stark! I can't teleport us if I don’t know where we’re _going_ and right now I don’t even know where we _are_.”

“Okay, okay! I get it. Just chill, jeez.”

Loki was seriously starting to consider leaving the mortal here and escaping on his own. Sensing guards approaching, the god quickly slid himself in the shadows of a corner. Seeing as Stark wasn’t reacting quickly enough, he grabbed him by the arms and pulled him by his side. He covered the man’s mouth with his hand before he started protesting.

“Silence.”he ordered.

The guards passed them by without noticing the two silhouettes hiding in the shadows. Loki sighed in relief. He didn't want to alert anyone, otherwise their escape was gonna be much more complicated than it already was.

“I'm surprised you’re not fighting your way out” commented Stark after Loki finally put his hand down.

“I prefer to leave the fighting to people like Thor.” Loki replied with a sneer “they’re unnecessary waste of energy and they always increase the chances of failing, especially in such delicate matters as an escape like this.”

“Okay, so be as discreet as possible. But you do realize that the guard you killed was there to get me, so they’re gonna realize something is wrong when he doesn't come back with me.”

“We’ll be long gone by then.”

“I appreciate your optimism”

“Let’s go, follow me closely.”

With that, Loki slid out of the shadows and continued on his way without looking back to check if the Man of Iron was actually following him.

“How do you know where you’re going?” Stark asked him after a moment.

“All ships have indications of exits in case of emergency, you just need to know where to look.”

This time, it was Tony who heard the guards coming.

“Hide!“ he whispered to Loki as he pushed him toward a tight hallway. The both of them could barely fit in it, they had to squeeze themselves against each other in the small place. It was probably some sort of storage unit, not meant for more than one person to go in.

“Well this isn’t awkward at al-“

“Shh!! Shut up Stark“ Loki whispered as the guards were passing in front of them.

This time they weren't in the shadows so Loki put a glamour on them to make it look as if the hallway was empty. As long as the two guards didn't look too closely or try to pass through the hallway, they should be fine. The two guards were talking to each other so one of them was facing the place where they were hidden. He looked vaguely in their direction. Loki felt Stark tense up against him, holding his breath. But the guards continued their round without seeing them.  
After a moment, Stark relaxed and let out a shaky breath. Loki took down the illusion.

“How did he not see us?”

“I don't know….magic I guess” Loki replied with a sly smile.

“Are you fucking with me right now?”

The god’s eyes shined mischief green and he chuckled as he walked out of the hallway. “Are you coming? We’re almost there.”

Stark raised an eyebrow at him but followed without another word. They were slowly falling into a strange companionship that made Loki feel uneasy, but he couldn't help being friendly with the man. He couldn't remember the last time he smiled or laughed so much because of someone’s company. He didn't know what to make of this.

“We’re here” he announced as they stopped in front of a small door. “This is an escape pod. It's for emergencies only so it can’t travel very far. We can’t go back to Midgard in it but it will take us to the nearest planet for safe landing.”

“Okay, let’s do this then.”

“I’m gonna need some time to overwrite the system to let the door open without alerting them. I need you to do look out while I'm working on it.” This was more an order than a request, so Loki didn't even wait for Stark’s approval before beginning to work. His fingers started glowing green and he put them on the door, closing his eyes and concentrating.

After a tensed ten minutes, the door finally unlocked. Loki waited a little bit just to make sure it didn't set off an alarm of some kind, but all seemed quiet.  
He turned and gave the Midgardian a triumphant grin.

“Let’s get out of here.”

“After you.”

Loki entered their escape pod with a swift movement, followed shortly by Tony. The door closed behind him. The pod was a small but still large enough for them to sit face to face without their knees touching. Loki fumbled around with the control panel. He frowned.

“What is it?”

“We’re more far away from the Nine Realms than I had anticipated…” he said in a low voice “it’s proposing me routes to the nearest planets we can reach….and I don’t know any of them.”

“We’ll figure something out.”

“We will have to.”

“Well what are we waiting for, then? Let’s go!”

Stark didn't seem to be overly worried and it had an oddly reassuring effect on Loki. He didn’t like that it did. Trying to ignore the feeling, he selected the planet that seemed the most adapted to the mortal’s survival needs. The pod took off, and Loki finally let himself truly relax. They were safe. For now.

 

 

 

***

 

 

“Well that wasn't too hard.” Tony said “I thought escaping an alien spaceship was gonna be way more complicated and long.”

“That’s because Afghár is an incompetent fool.”

“A fool that still managed to catch you though.”

“He couldn't hold me for even a day. It's pathetic, really.”

The mortal snorted “Yeah I almost feel bad for him to be honest.”

Loki held back a smile.

“Thanks by the way.” Stark said after a while

“What for?”

“For not ditching me as soon as you were free.”

“I did think about it.”

“So why didn't you?”

“I owed you. You helped me free myself from the cuffs.”

“Don’t pretend like you couldn't have done that yourself given the time.”

Loki didn't reply. He himself was unsure of why he had kept the mortal by his side instead of just getting rid of the liability.

“If I want to return to the Nine Realms, I’ll be better off with a partner. No one I could recruit here would ever be as motivated as you.” He said after a while

“So…what are you proposing? An alliance?”

“I suppose, yes. Until we return to the Nine Realms. Then we can get back to being enemies.”

“Sure, sounds fun.”

Loki raised an eyebrow at the mortal. Stark didn't say anything else, he just grinned at him. He studied Loki a while then, seeming satisfied, he lied down on the couch where he was sitting.

“How long before we arrive?”

“A few hours."

“Kay, good night then.”

With that, he closed his eyes and started to doze off. Loki couldn't comprehend the mortal. By now it was obvious that he didn't have any sense of self preservation. But still. Falling asleep next to someone like Loki, an individual that not 24 hours ago he called an enemy….admittedly Loki didn't have any reason to attack the mortal in his sleep, after everything they went through….but this fact didn't mean that Tony could be comfortable enough to sleep beside him from his own will. The fact was that Stark was unpredictable and it made the god as uneasy as it entertained him.

He thought about the way he had smiled after Loki had revealed that he had stolen from Afghár. “ _Why am I not surprised?_ ” But there had been no judgement in his voice. He couldn't tell why but it had made Loki incredibly satisfied…something he preferred not to dwell on for too long. Maybe he just had been alone for so long that he just appreciated the company. Even of someone like Stark…

Loki looked at the control panel. They still had four hours to go before arriving on the planet. He hoped that it would be inhabited, and that the inhabitants would be advanced enough to have spaceships, otherwise the journey home was gonna prove complicated.  
Home.

Loki wondered why was it that he still considered the Nine Realms as his home after everything that had happened. He belonged to nothing, he belonged nowhere. Why return? What did the Nine Realms still hold for him? He looked over at the mortal’s sleeping form. Then back at the control panel. The little red dot that represented their pod was slowly moving across the screen and getting closer to the green light that signified the planet they would land on. Four hours. He’d have plenty of time to think it through.

He settled down on his couch, finding a comfortable position. The escape pod was the safest way for the passengers to escape a ship if it was invaded because it didn't appear on any scanners. Afghár wouldn't be able to chase them down. When he will notice that they had escaped, he will have to check all the planets for their trace. There was a total of 8 planets that Loki could have chosen from for their safe landing, so that should buy them some time. If they laid low they should be fine. Laying low hadn't worked out very well for Loki in Midgard but he was determined not to let himself get caught two times in the same way. He would figure out how Afghár had found him and it wouldn't happen again.

His thoughts drifted off to the mortal again. It was like a puzzle he couldn't keep his mind off of. Every time he started thinking about something else, he always ended up there. Stark.  
He closed his eyes. Soon he felt his consciousness threaten to slip from him. It seemed like the stress from the last few hours had exhausted him more than he had realized.  
He fell asleep.

 

* * *

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Third chapter is up! Don't hesitate to comment ^^


	4. Alien Soil

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, but one of my beta was sick in bed and I can't fathom posting any chapter without her approving it first <3

Tony slowly started waking up. He couldn't tell how long he had been sleeping. He hadn't actually planned on doing so but as soon as he had closed his eyes, he had fallen into a deep slumber. Maybe not the wisest thing to do in presence of a slightly psychotic individual like Loki. Tony opened one eye to peep at the god. He was sitting on the opposing couch, his long legs stretched out in front of him, his head resting on the wall at his side. His eyes were closed and his lips slowly parted. He was asleep.  
Without even realizing it, Tony held his breath, as if just the sound of him breathing was gonna awaken the beast. It was like observing a wild animal, he was anxious that Loki might suddenly open his eyes and attack him but at the same time, he was fascinated that he could stare openly at him without the god knowing it. Loki looked peaceful, his expression was soft. The bruises and cuts from Afghár’s beating had entirely faded, his skin was now smooth and pale. One strand of dark hair had fallen on his face and was partially covering one of his eyes. This time Tony didn't even try to deny it. _Definitely pretty._ He stayed that way a while, watching Loki sleep, feeling like a complete creep but not able to tear his eyes away from him.   
Tony’s mouth was dry and he was hungry. He never had gone that long without eating even a snack or drinking coffee. He was feeling more terrible by the minute. His stomach was painfully empty. It growled loudly in the silent pod. Tony froze. He looked at Loki. The god didn't even flinch. Seems like he was in a deep sleep. He must have been exhausted. Loki was obviouslyI hiding from Afghár when Tony had apprehended him on earth. He wondered how long he had been on the run. The hunger was starting to get really uncomfortable, Tony was feeling dizzy. He should probably try to lower his physical activities, including brain work, as much as possible. Best way to do that? Sleep. He closed his eyes.

 

 

 

***

 

 

  
Loki woke up, confused. He hadn’t slept this deeply for…. he wasn't sure how long. Maybe a century or so? It was the kind of sleep where one completely lost consciousness, didn't know where they were when they awoke, and needed time to recall the last event. This level of confusion caused a deep sense of panic in Loki. He looked around himself, letting the last hours come back to him. Stark hadn't moved at all from where he had fallen asleep a while ago. Loki breathed deeply and waited for his heart to calm down and stop pounding so hard in his chest. He felt like a fool. He looked at the control panel to distract himself from his still feverish state.  
He had slept through almost all of four hours. They were rapidly approaching the planet and would land soon. Stark seemed to have slept through the journey too. Loki felt reassured by that: he had been sleeping so deeply it would have made him uncomfortable if the mortal had seen him in that state. It wasn't like the Man of Iron could have actually done anything to him in his sleep, but it made him feel vulnerable.   
“Wake up, Stark”  
The man startled awake. “What the-“he glared at Loki “ Dude, you scared the shit out of me!”  
“We’ll be landing soon, strap in.”  
“You mean we’re landing on a foreign planet??” He sounded very excited. He approached the control panel and studied the countless switches in front of him. “Can we watch it?”  
“Watch it?”  
“The landing! Is there a window in this pod or something?”  
“I don’t really understand the appeal of w-”  
Stark put both his hands on Loki’s shoulders, cutting him off.  
“Science.” He said in a dead serious tone.   
Loki was startled by the touch of the mortal. It was so…. unthinkable, that he would touch him in such a casual way that Loki didn't even have time to react before Tony was already walking away, studying the control panel with curiosity. As he was approaching his fingers to the many switches, Loki snatched his hand to stop him.  
“Don’t.”   
Ignoring the mortal’s protests, Loki started turning a little wheel on the side. The walls of the pod slid open and let appear the vastness of the universe, shutting Stark up at once. He looked amazed.  
They were quickly approaching a small planet. It was red, with patches of dark areas that looked like lands.  
“Jesus, I'm gonna step on alien soil…. boldly going where no one has gone before.”  
Stark smiled at his own remark, looking amused. He was watching the planet intently. Loki had no idea it was even possible to smile that widely.   
“It’s beautiful.”  
“I suppose.”  
“Hope we can survive on it though.”  
“I certainly will.”  
Stark turned to glance warily at the god.   
“Uh…”  
Loki scoffed.  
“Worry not, Man of Iron, I checked the atmosphere’s components to make sure it suited your body’s needs.”  
“You did?”  
The Aesir didn't comment, watching the planet that was growing bigger and bigger by the minute as if he hadn't heard the question.   
“That’s…very considerate of you.”  
“….”  
“Thanks. I guess?”  
Just as Loki was turning to face the mortal, Tony’s stomach growled loudly. He scowled down at his tummy as if it had just betrayed him.  
“We’ll find something to eat as soon as we land.”  
“This is an escape pod, surely it must have some supplies stacked somewhere? I know you’re gonna ask me why I can’t wait for us to land but seriously I feel so hungry I think I might pass out.”  
“You mortals are really weak. It’s almost impressive.”  
“Can you drop the whole” mockingly imitating Loki, Stark took a deep voice “you weak mortals, kneel before me!!”   
Loki raised an unimpressed eyebrow at Stark.  
“Please just give me food and I promise I’ll shut up.”  
“Ah” Loki said with a satisfied smile “what an appealing argument. There are some cupboards at the back of the pod. You might find something to eat.”  
“Bless.” Stark walked to the back of the pod and started searching through the cupboards Loki had mentioned. He seemed to find something after a while. He bit down on what looked like a dry piece of bread and groaned.   
“This tastes awful but I'm so hungry I don't even care.”  
“Shut up, Stark.”  
“Oh right. Food, no talking. Got it.”  
Loki glared at him. The man raised both his hands to signify he’d stop talking now. They brusquely entered the planet’s atmosphere, the pod shook violently, throwing Stark to the ground. Knowing this had been coming, Loki had held onto one of the straps and didn't even sway.  
“I did tell you to strap in.”   
Tony didn't reply, he was too busy trying to grab something he could hold on to. The way the mortal struggled to find something in the quivering pod was rather amusing. When he finally found something, he used it to pull himself on the couch. The pod slowed its trajectory as they were getting closer to the ground.   
They crashed into a forest.

 

 

  
***

 

 

  
“The ground is black. It’s probably rich in carbon. Or maybe these are components we don’t know of? I should try and get some back to earth to do some analysis. Bruce is gonna be _so_ jealous.”   
Tony was crouching on the ground and examining the dirt with curiosity. They had left the pod and were exploring their surroundings. Loki was looking tense, probably waiting to see if they were gonna be attacked by some sort of wildlife or maybe the natives of the planet. Tony didn't wreally care, he was on alien soil, touching alien dirt. This was probably one of the coolest days of his life.   
“Seems like we’re alone out here. I don't sense any immediate danger.” Loki said after a while. “We should hide the pod.”  
“Yup.” Tony replied without turning.  
“Are you even listening to what I'm saying?”  
“Uhu…”  
Loki pushed him with his heel, Tony fell head first into the mud.  
“What the hell?!” Spitting dirt from his mouth, he turned back to glare at the god.  
Loki wasn't exactly smiling but the corner of his lips twitched when he saw Tony’s face.  
“Come.” He said, “We need to hide the pod.”  
Tony grumbled something angrily, but followed Loki. They pushed the vehicle into a purple bush. Even with Loki’s god strength they had trouble moving it, and by the time they finished, they were both panting hard, even if Tony wasn't sure he had helped in any way. They then began covering it with large branches and leaves from nearby trees. Tony collapsed against a trunk.   
“Ugh, I didn't eat enough for this shit. You know we mortals require food to function and have energy.”   
“Eat those” Loki said, handing him something weird that looked vaguely like a blue fruit “they should be comestible.”  
“ _Should_ be?”  
“Just eat.”  
“You know, you’re not reassuring at all.” Tony still took the fruit from him. “How do you even eat this? Do I have to peel it or something?”  
Loki bit down the fruit he was still holding in his hand. He looked slightly surprised as juice started pouring down his hand. He swallowed and quickly finished the bit that was left before licking the juice off his finger.  
“Doesn't taste too bad.”  
Distracting himself ( _God why does the psychotic norse god of mischief has to be hot?!_ ) Tony bit his own fruit. The flesh of the fruit exploded under his teeth and the juice poured inside his mouth, catching him by surprise. He choked.   
“Don't eat to fast, you’re gonna choke” Loki commented with a mocking smile  
“No… **cough**!… no shit.” Tony managed to say between two strangled breath. “Thanks for- **cough**!… the advice… **cough**! **Cough**!” He took a deep breath “I’m gonna die!!”  
“Don’t be overly dramatic. You’ll survive.”  
Having managed to calm himself, Tony finished the fruit. It didn't taste too bad, it was sweet but unlike any fruit he had ever tasted. The texture reminded him a bit of mangoes…. but with a hell of a lot more juice.  
“I feel like you’re trying to kill me and make it look like an accident.”  
Loki studied him with an unreadable expression. Okay…. maybe too soon? They were enemies just a day ago, making jokes about killing each other probably wasn’t the best kind of humor right now.   
“And yet you willingly and openly accept things from me.” The god said.  
“Are you gonna comment on my sense of preservation again? Cause I thought we’d established that I don't have one of those. You know, live life at its fullest, that kind of bullshit?”  
“We’re probably some light years away from Midgard, and you’re stuck on an unknown planet with an enemy…”  
“Ex-enemy, current ally. Isn't that what you said?”  
“…even so, I'm not known for my honesty and trustworthiness. Yet you don't seem worried at all. This isn't lack of self-preservation, it’s madness.”  
“I appreciate the compliment but really, it's probably because I didn't have time to dwell on it yet, what with the escaping an alien spaceship and stepping on extraterrestrial soil” Tony replied, “I'm probably gonna freak out in a few hours.”  
“You mean you’re too distracted to worry?”  
Tony shrugged. “I guess? Something like that.”  
Loki narrowed his eyes at him. “You are truly a peculiar individual.”  
“Coming from you, I feel like it's a compliment.”  
The god scoffed and looked away.  
“What are we gonna do now?”  
“Try find the inhabitants of this planet. Maybe they can help us get a spacecraft. We should be careful, we don't have any weapons and if they are aggressive, no means to defend ourselves.”  
“Can't you summon your weapons?”  
“The source is too far away, I can’t reach them.”  
“Great… “  
“We’ll figure something out.” Loki said with a soft smile.   
Tony remembered he had offered these exact words to Loki when he had looked worried a few hours ago. It was the most honest peace offering the god could have given him. Tony returned his smile. Loki lent him a hand, helping him stand up. He didn't let go as soon as Tony was on his feet, giving him a strong handshake that only meant one thing: from now on they were partners.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I didn't do any art for this chapter but school started again so I'm having less time than before. I'm afraid the fanarts won't punctuate every end of chapter now. I post one occasionally if I have time.


	5. Fever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! SORRY for the long wait! I started school again and it's been honestly crazy!  
> I wrote a slightly longer chapter therefore. I hope you like it.

They had been walking in the forest for about an hour, maybe more. Walking in silence beside Loki had given him time to think about their situation. Loki’s remark about his lack of concern wasn’t exactly true. Tony _was_ worried, joking about it was just his way of coping with the situation. Plus, he was currently with Loki, who showed no interest in abandoning him on this foreign planet (the reasons of which still confused him but he wasn't about to complain) and determined to get them both back to earth so that helped him not freak out. Would he had been alone, he definitely would have. But he had someone confident to keep him company so…  
Even if Loki had said they were so far away that he didn't know any of the planets surrounding them, they couldn't possibly be that far from earth’s solar system, they had only been gone less than a day. Surely they hadn't travel that far? It would have taken the kind of speed that was way faster than the speed of light which was, to his knowledge, impossible. Anyways, what was the worse thing that could happen? He could die? That never stopped him from doing anything. While he was gone he knew he could count on Pepper to take care of Stark Industries. Maybe Steve would be lost without him for while haha. He’d get over it. Rhodey could step in with War Machine if they needed someone in a suit of armor…the world still had the rest of the Avengers to protect it while he was figuring out how to get back to it.

  
Being on _another planet_ was also all kinds of cool and distracting. Kept his mind off the gnawing stress at the pit of his stomach. The trees there had interesting colors, hues of purple and dark red. Some approaching black. Tony wasn't a biologist, but to him, it kinda made sense. Black was the color that absorbed light best, seemed like the plant could use that for their photosynthesis or something. The dirt itself was black too, so the whole place would have had a kind of dark and gloomy atmosphere if it weren't for the pink sky and the bright blue flowers that seemed to grow everywhere: on the ground, on the trees’ trunk…the foliage wasn't too dense either and let pass through the light of day. It was so different from anything on earth, he felt like he was in some kind of sci-fi movie…except this was real life, which, even better.

“I sense life forms not far from here”, Loki said suddenly.

Tony stopped beside the god.

“What do we do?”

“I'm unsure of whether they are mere animals or actual intelligent life forms…” Loki closed his eyes, concentrating as if he was trying to hear a very tiny noise. “We should go there. Find out for ourselves. I can hide us until we know if they represent any threat to us.”

“Sure.”

“As long as they don't look too closely and as long as you stay still. And silent.”

“I can stay still. Silent might be a little more complicated though.” Tony said, winking.

“I've noticed.”

“Rude.”

“Come now.”

Loki went ahead without looking back to check if Tony was behind him.

“ Title of your sex tape.” Tony whispered to himself, following Loki through the woods. If the god heard him, he didn't say anything.

 

 

 

***

 

 

  
They soon got to the edge of the wood. Loki was leading the way, he made a sign at Stark, signifying him to stop walking. They both stood and watched what laid before their eyes. They could see what looked like a village, with different blocks that seemed to be made out of some kind of metal. There were strange blue crops growing around the village, and humanoid creatures working among them. They looked a bit like the Dark Elves from the Nine Realms: their skin was a grayish purple. They were too far for him to see the faces of this species but he could make out blood red hair and clothes that looked more like rags than anything else.

“Oh my god, alien life form….”

“Don't act like this is the first time you’ve seen an alien.”

“You and your brother don't really look that different from us.”

“I was talking about the time when I lead an entire army of them to Midgard.”

Stark’s expression shifted slightly.

“Oh, right, thanks for reminding me. By the way, that? Not cool.”

Loki didn't reply. If the mortal was gonna take his attempted invasion that lightly, he wasn't about to complain.

“But this is not the same.” Stark continued, “First of all I'm not threatened, I can just observe. I was too busy trying to save the world last time. And now I'm seeing aliens on alien soil doing alien stuff. No offense but this is _so_ much cooler.”

They observed, not saying anything. The aliens didn't seem threatening but it didn't mean they weren't dangerous. They looked more like farmers than warriors.

“What do we do now?” Stark asked after a while

“We should try and get closer. I can’t make out their faces from here which will prove difficult to cast a glamour.”

“How are we gonna get closer without them seeing us? As soon as we leave the cover of the trees, we’re toasted.”

“I told you I can conceal us. Remember you need to be absolutely quiet” Loki added, pinning the mortal down with a severe look.

“Yeah yeah, got it.”  
With a gracious movement of the hand, the god wrapped the two of them in his magic, making them disappear from the outside eye in a faint green glow.

“Show off.” Stark whispered

Loki raised an eyebrow at him.

“Don't think I didn't notice you didn't do that fancy hand movement when you concealed us from the guards earlier.”

Stark smirked at his surprised expression. Loki frowned.

“This spell is more complicated. We're gonna be moving.”

“Yeah, yeah. You don't need to justify yourself, I like to show off too. I was just pointing it out, doesn't mean it’s not hot.”

Loki opened his mouth but didn't know what to reply to that. He was too confused and surprised and…was Stark _courting_ him? This was the first time in at least…a few centuries that he had no idea how to react or what to say. It felt as exciting as it made him frustrated. The mortal was definitely proving to be entertaining.

 

 

  
***

 

 

  
Maybe he had been out of line _flirting_ with Loki but the god hadn't seemed to mind. Also the fact that he had been able to put him at a loss of words made it absolutely worth it. What a victory. Tony couldn't tell the last time he had felt that satisfied. Trying not to look too pleased, he followed Loki out of the woods and into the crops. He knew they were invisible to the outside eye but it's still felt like they were out in the open marching directly in the direction of the aliens. He could feel the adrenaline pulsing through his veins, and he felt a little feverish.

Loki moved with cat-like grace in front of him, sneaking through the crops. How Tony hadn't noticed how generally gorgeous the god was was still a mystery… Maybe it was because something in Loki was different than it had been two years ago at the battle of New York. He didn't have that nervous energy that made him fidget with his scepter as they had talked on top of the Stark Tower. He didn't have that crazed edge in his eyes. He seemed more….carefree, as carefree as Loki could be anyways. Easily amused by Tony, even if Tony knew he had amused him even back then at the battle of New York, but at the time, the god had been distracted. His thoughts had been somewhere else, probably planning his big invasion or something. This new Loki had upgraded from ‘just a really hot opponent with a terrible personality’ to ‘an actually attractive guy that was maybe really Tony’s type’. Clever, dark, charming and mysterious, hot as hell, appreciative of Tony’s sense of humor…maybe Tony was gonna be doing a little more flirting from now on cause he wouldn't mind getting in those particularly tight pants.

Tony looked at the slender figure in front of him. He couldn't stop himself from staring at that glorious ass. He really needed to get the name of Loki’s tailor cause that suit was doing wonders to his curves. Or maybe it was just Loki. Tony sighed. This mild obsession with Loki needed to stop. Tony suspected it might be his subconscious focusing on random stuff (making him notice that the mad god of mischief he was traveling with was actually hella hot) to make him forget that he was lost in the middle of the galaxy. All of this thinking was giving him a headache.  
He was almost by Loki’s side when the god extended his arms to stop Tony from going any further. He put a finger on his lips, silently telling the human to be quiet, then gestured at something in front of them. They observed the alien with fascination. There was no telling if it was actually a female or a male. By human standards, the alien looked rather androgynous. Its eyes were a pale blue, almost white, with no iris and just a tiny pupil that made it look like it was opening its eyes really widely. It didn't have a strongly sculpted nose, just two nostrils on a slight bump in the lower half of its face. Its red hair was like those of a human, attached to the top and back of the skull, falling down its shoulders in thick locks. Tony saw something shift in the corner of his eye, and turned to look at Loki.  
The god’s black hair was growing longer, thicker and turning red. His green irises slowly disappeared and his eyes became almost entirely pale blue save from his pupils. His nose seemed to melt away as his skin faded into the same grayish purple as the alien’s skin. The shirt he was wearing was replaced by the same kind of rags the alien was wearing.  
Tony stared in awed confusion. So it was his first time witnessing this kind of shapeshifting (Bruce turning into the Hulk didn't actually count) and he had to admit he was impressed. He also wanted to plug Loki to his lab and have JARVIS run all kind of test and analysis. Not currently possible, probably not possible ever so he enjoyed the sight while he could. When the god turned to look at him with his too pale eyes, Tony silently mouthed “awesome” at him. Loki rolled his eyes, which looked fairly odd in his alien appearance, but he did looked amused.

Loki then stepped between the crops, pushing them aside and making himself appear to the alien. Seeing him, something changed in the alien’s attitude and became more defensive. It opened its mouth, revealing sharp teeth, and snarled something at Loki in a foreign language.

“I’m not from around here…” Loki said.

The alien replied something as though it had understood what Loki had said. Tony was so very confused right now.

“It matters not where I come from. We have more pressing matters right now…did you see the object that fell from the sky?”

Tony tensed at that. Was Loki gonna reveal they had crash landed? What if the villagers decided to hunt down their ship? Not that it was very useful right now but if this planet proved not civilized enough to get them back in space, it was the only mean of transportation they had left…  
The conversation continued between the alien and Loki, the alien speaking in its own alien language that kind of had a reptilian quality to it, with quite a lot of hissing.

“I don't think it was a meteorite. I think it was something else…do you think it could be…? People? From the sky?”

It was actually quite clever. If the alien knew about other alien life beyond their own planet, it would probably correct Loki in obvious manners like “oh you mean extraterrestrials?” Or something like that. If the alien didn't know about life beyond this planet, it would just be confused and ask what Loki meant or reply with some religious beliefs… anyhow, the answer the alien would give them would provide them with clues on the advances of this planet and their relationship with intergalactic travel.  
Loki’s shoulders seem to relax a bit upon hearing the alien’s reply.

“Maybe they don't know about the city? Or maybe they crashed landed….i’m gonna go see if there are any survivors left that might need my help…”

The alien said something, and gestured at the crops.

“You don't need to accompany me, you can continue working. I’ll come fetch you if I need any help.”

At that he turned away, but before he could start leaving the alien grabbed his arm. Loki immediately tensed but kept himself from lashing out while the alien was telling him something.

“Don't worry, I'm great at escapes.” He said with a shrewd smile.

Tony huffed. Yes indeed he was. The alien let go of Loki’s arm and the god continued his path. Passing in front of Tony, he gestured discreetly at him to let him know he should follow him. Tony did, stumbling a bit on his feet but catching himself before falling, as quietly as possible, trying hard it to swear. He was surprised by how weak his legs felt. Maybe it was from standing still, so long? His headache had only worsen since earlier.

“I'm not feeling so well…” He told the god once they were far enough not to reach anyone.

“Let's get to the woods, you can rest once we’re there” Loki replied, not looking back at him.  
“Good idea, cause it starting to get really hot here. The temperature was much cooler under the trees.” Tony said

By the time they reached the forest, Tony was panting with difficulty.

“What is wrong with you Stark?”

Tony let himself fall gracelessly on the ground, against a trunk.

“I have no bloody idea dude….but my head hurts and my eyes burn and I'm feeling like shit right now.”

Loki, having transformed to his former original self, frowned and crouched down beside him.

“Am I dying?” Tony asked an amused smile.

The god’s eyes shines brightly green as he was watching Tony from head to toes. He didn't reply immediately.

“Wait I was joking, don't tell me I'm actually dying?!” Tony said, all cheerfulness gone from his features.

“It seem you have a fever. Your body is trying to fight an alien bacteria it has never encountered before and your immune system is struggling a great deal from it.” Loki said after a while “ It does not look good.”

“Tell me about it, foreign bacterias wiped out almost the entire Native American population. It had help from slightly murderous and self righteous European colonists but still, the bacterias and viruses played a huge role in the genocide of the Native American people. And that was from an earthly bacteria. Can you imagine how our immune system would handle unearthly ones? Wait…I feel like this isn't the most appropriate time to be talking about earth history right now. Sorry for the rambling my brains kinda loses control when I have a fever. Am I gonna die? You need to give me the name of your tailor by the way, this suit is doing wonders to your ass. God I feel so hot right now. And not in a positive, sexy kind of way.”

Tony knew he had no filter when he had a fever but he hardly could stop himself and right now it was difficult knowing which of his thoughts he’d actually said out loud. Also hard to keep track of these thoughts. Something about Native Americans?

“Where am I? The trees look weird. Duuuude check out the color of the sky! It's crazy!”

“Stark. Focus.” Loki said, taking a hold of Tony’s face with his hands, forcing him to look into his eyes. Cold hands. The mortal sighed in relief.

“Ah…yes….that feels good.”

“I'm not very good with healing magic, especially when healing one other than myself. I'm not entirely sure of what I can do to help but I'm gonna try to ease your pain a little. Please refrain from moving.”

Loki’s eyes glowed bright green and Tony saw at the corner of his eyes light coming from both of the god’s hands at the side of his face. It dulled the headache a bit and cooled down his fever, enough for him to have coherent thoughts again.

“I…I think I'm gonna throw up.” Tony warned before he suddenly jerked over. Loki jumped back as Tony’s body started shaking. He spat blood on the ground. “This is definitely not good.” He remarked in a weak voice. He fell back against the trunk, eyes screwed shut. He groaned in pain as he felt like a hundred of knives were cutting through his stomach.

“I'm sure this is a ridiculous disease like a mild flu or something.” He gave a strained smile “I'm gonna die of an alien cold. It sucks but it's still a super cool death.”

“Shut it Stark, you’re not gonna die.”

“Does it not look like I'm already dying?”

“I'm not good at healing magic but I may enhance your immune system so it can deal with the various alien diseases we might encounter in our journey.” Loki said. “The only inconvenience is that it won't cure you immediately. Your body will have to do that on its own, and it may take a while.”

“Are you gonna ditch me then? I'm kinda useless to you.”

Loki didn't deign reply. He put his hands on Tony’s torso and concentrated.

“Wow there, hot stuff. I think I'm not exactly in the conditions for intimate activities.” Tony joked before he coughed violently, blood spilling out of his mouth. “Ow ow, that hurts….damn this disease is really violent.”

The god’s hand glowed shortly before the arc reactor seemed to absorb Loki’s magic. He looked down in surprised.

“Wow. Did my arc reactor just..?” Tony said

“Fascinating…” Loki whispered, bending over to look at the arc reactor.

“It's just like that time with the scepter.” Tony said, momentarily forgetting his condition as the thrill of discovering unknown perks of his technology kicked in.  
Loki hummed “It's seems like the device in your chest acts like a sort of shield, absorbing magical energy.” He said “ I didn't know it was even possible….it's quite impressive.”

“Thanks, I made it myse-” Tony shouted as his stomach once again ached violently. He bent over and had to catch himself with his hand to stop him from falling to the ground.

He let out a pained sob. A disgusting mix of blood and saliva was dripping from his opened mouth onto the ground below him. His sight grew blurred as tears were gathering in his eyes. Loki had slid away to let Tony fall forward and was now kneeling on his side.

“The alien I talked to seemed familiar with alien life form and if a little wary, not hostile towards it.” Loki told him. “I'm bringing you to her, she might be able to help.”

Tony was so in pain he could hardly reply anything. Not that Loki was waiting for his consent. He took a hold of Tony’s arm and swung it around his neck, helping the inventor up. Tony groaned at the movement. He had lost the ability to form any coherent thought as the fever had taken a hold of his head once again, Loki’s spell having faded away. He was hardly aware of the god shapeshifting back into his more grayish and red haired self while he supported him out of the woods once again. Everything turned black as Tony fell unconscious.

 

* * *

 

 


	6. The Allspeak

Tony was vaguely aware of a weight on his thighs. He slowly came to his senses, regaining consciousness. He felt a slight pressure on his lower back from what he soon recognized as hands. Tony froze. Someone was sitting on him.

“What-“

“Be still.” Loki’s voice came from behind him.

“What the hell are you doing?” Tony snapped, even as he obeyed Loki’s order and stayed still.

“I figured out after a while of testing that in order to apply my magic directly to your body, I have to do it from enough distance so that the device in your chest won't absorb any of it. Your hips are far enough from it not to affect my magic, and also full of bone marrow. I can control and modify your immune system from there to make it more resistant.”

“If you wanted so badly to sit on me, you could have asked, I wouldn't’ve said no.” Tony mused, relaxing back on the bed he was lying on. He focused on Loki’s hands, two warm spots applying gentle pressure on his lower back. He could feel like a low hum, a sort of vibration coming from the palms of the god. It was probably his magic, flowing through Tony’s body.

“How are you feeling?” Loki asked.

Tony thought about it. He was still sleepy from just having woken up, he couldn't feel anything but a dull ache in his stomach yet. He also felt like his head was spinning a bit.

“I'm not feeling too bad…yet.” He said, hoping it would last the longest possible.

“Good.”

“Where are we?”

“The indigenous people took us in. They gave you some medicine to ease your pain and help you recover from your sickness. You were right, it is quite common on this planet, but they never had seen symptoms quite as severe as yours.”

“Not everyone can be a god and have super healing.” Tony mumbled.

“Unfortunately.” Loki said as he moved his hand slightly higher. Tony held back a shiver.  
Loki worked in silence for another ten minutes, while Tony tried not to feel overly self-conscious. Hard to do so once he realized he was actually shirtless. Finally, Loki took his hands off his back and stood off from the mortal. Tony didn’t feel disappointed about that, nope, not at all. He tried rolling over and groaned.

“Ugh...I take back what I said. I actually feel like I’ve been ran over by a truck. Twice.”

He stopped trying to roll and stayed in the same position, just turning his head to face the god.

“Do they know you’re not actually one of them yet?”

“Yes. I revealed myself when I brought you to them.”

“Wow, bold move... how did _that_ go?”

“They weren’t too happy about it.”

“They still took us in though?”

“I can be very persuasive.” Loki said with a smile.

“I can’t actually tell if this means you talked your way out of it or killed half of them.” Tony tried to keep his tone light, but he was actually worried about Loki’s answer.

“Let’s just say they don’t call me Silvertongue for nothing.”

“Impressive.” Tony replied, relieved.

Loki sat down on a chair in the room’s corner, far enough so that Tony could look at his face without staining his neck. He crossed his legs and rested his head on his hand.

“You should sleep.”

“I don’t feel that tired.” Tony replied. _More like I don’t wanna sleep while you watch over me like a creep._

“You look tired.”

“Do I?”

Loki rolled his eyes.

“This conversation is pointless. If you refuse to sleep then don’t.”

“Damn right, I do what I want.”

Loki looked at him as if he was a petulant kid.

“It’ll take you longer to recover if you don’t rest properly, Stark.”

“I...”

“Don’t worry, you’re safe. I’ll be standing watch.”

“Not exactly the thing I was worried about but now you watching me sleep does make a little more sense...doesn’t make it less uncomfortable though.”

“It’s not really different than when we tended to you earlier.”

“Yeah except I was unconscious. Now I actually have to fall asleep in front of you.”

“By the Nine...don’t be such a child.”

“Don’t act like you wouldn’t be equally as uncomfortable if you were weak and had to fall asleep while I was watching.”

Loki didn’t reply. Tony counted that as a win. He focused back on his body, he could feel it aching all over as if he had done some seriously intense sport the day before.

“Try to at least get some rest.” Loki said after a while.

Tony groaned and closed his eyes. “Damn this is so frustrating. I feel so weak....and completely useless.”

“Well, I wouldn’t say useless.” Loki said with a look that clearly conveyed _not gonna pretend like you’re not weak_. “We’ve appeared a lot less threatening thanks to the state you were in and the natives have been way more open and less guarded than they ought to be had you not been on the verge of death. Collecting information was that much easier thanks to you.”

“If I didn’t know you, I’d almost think you’re trying to comfort me.”

Loki scoffed. “Comfort? These are mere facts.”

“Even if they are, the purpose of you bringing them up is still to comfort me. You’re the Silvertongue, you know very well that the truth has as much purpose as lies.”

“You seem to know that quite well too.” Loki observed with a pointed look.

“Takes one to know one. I haven’t figured out exactly why you’re trying to comfort me though. But thanks anyways. It did kinda help.”

“Worry not, I bear you no ill will. Easing your frustration will simply make it easier for you to rest. The less you have on your mind, the better.”

Tony supposed it made sense. He closed his eyes and tried to forget his surroundings.

 

 

***

 

 

Stark finally closed his eyes. It didn’t take long before his breathing started to slow. He wondered what the Man of Iron had suffered through that had brought him to implant the fascinating device in his chest. The marks around it looked pretty nasty, and his chest was covered in scars, some bigger than others, and what looked like severe burns. It also seemed like the wounds had been inflicted directly on him, like he wasn’t wearing any protections. Stark never would have suffered as much had he be wearing his metallic armor. Loki had to admit that despite being weaker by nature, the mortal was still strong, in his own way. The well-defined muscles of his arms and chest also showed he was probably physically superior to average Midgardians.

The door opened and the alien he met earlier in the field entered the room.

“Loki.” She greeted in a cold voice. She probably still hadn’t forgiven him for playing her.

“Slieghni.”

“How is your friend feeling?”

“He’s not exactly my friend. But better.”

“Your mate?”

“What?”

“You say she’s not your friend. Is she your mate?”

“No, he’s not. He’s just a partner.”

“You seemed awfully worried for her, someone who’s just a partner and not even a friend.” Slieghni drawled, fixing him.

“He’s an important partner.” Loki said.

She raised an eyebrow at him, or at least that what she seemed to do, and probably would have done if she had any eyebrow. The look she gave him remained the same though: unimpressed and doubtful.

“Anyways” she said after a while, “I brought you some food. Try to make her eat even if she feels dizzy. It’s best if she has something other than blood to vomit.”

Slieghni put a plate down on the table beside the bed and looked over at Stark’s sleeping form.

“She does seem a little healthier than earlier.”

“It’s thanks to you.”

She turned to glare at him. Still bitter about the little lie he told then. The alien headed out of the room without another word.

“I mean it Slieghni” Loki called back. She stopped in the doorway. “Thank you.”

She turned to look at him, her features softening.

“Eat something too.” She told him before leaving the room and closing the door behind her.

 

“It’s kinda confusing just understanding half of a conversation... what were you guys talking about?”

Loki turned to the bed, Stark was looking at him.

“Were you pretending to sleep the whole time?”

“I didn’t know if I had to, felt like it might be safer to do so. How can you understand her anyways?”

“It’s something called the Allspeak. It allows one to understand the meaning rather than the words themselves. Our mind automatically translates these meanings into words we know. As such, you can understand and be understood by any intelligent being no matter what language they use.”

“This is one of the coolest things I’ve heard of.” Stark said, his eyes shining with awe at the idea of it. “Can you teach it to me? It might come in handy since, you know...traveling space and stuff...?”

“I can’t give it to you, it’s too dangerous. I would have to modify your brain, like I did with your immune system. Except the immune system is something automatic that you have no conscious control over. The brain defines who you are, your intelligence, memories, personality. If I try modifying it, it could completely change who you are or worse....it could kill you.”

“Okay....doesn’t sound as much fun as I thought.”

“I might be able to do something else, but it’ll take a while, and I’m not sure it’ll work because I’ve never attempted such a thing before. And I’m afraid the device in your chest might be a problem...”

“We should try it out anyways. Who knows.”

“In the meantime, you should eat some food.”

“I’m not sure I can swallow anything right now.” Stark groaned “I feel like anything I might eat will come directly out.”

“Trust me, it’ll be better if you actually have something to throw up.” Loki replied, standing up and joining the mortal to help him roll over and sit up.

“Thanks.” Tony breathed out. It seemed like just rolling and sitting up had exhausted him. Loki handed him the glass of water Slieghni had brought them, but the mortal didn’t manage to grip it tightly enough to actually bring it to his mouth. Without commenting, Loki held the glass to Stark’s mouth, tilting it slightly to make him drink slowly. The mortal’s usual cheekiness was gone, and his jaw was clenched tightly, his eyes dark.

They ate in silence, Tony in small bites not to upset his stomach.

 

 

***

 

 

Tony stayed that way for two more days, lying down most of the time, eating bigger amounts of food little by little and slowly getting better. Even if he felt way better by the second day, Slieghni insisted he laid down a little longer to be sure he made a full recovery before getting up. When they finally allowed him to take a walk on the third day’s afternoon, his legs felt weak from the sickness and misuse. Loki took him around the village, introducing him to some people he hadn’t met. He only knew Slieghni and a few others who visited him when he was sick. He had worked out a way to communicate with them with basic hand signs when Loki wasn’t there to translate. He felt like Slieghni was rather fond of him even if he had no way of being sure.

Loki was looking pretty relaxed, it seemed he had taken a liking to the natives and had a good relationship with them. It felt weird to see the god get along with anyone...but then again, he did have a good relationship with Tony too. He was actually rather likable. For a villain. Tony sometimes forgot he was one. It just seemed like the Loki from the battle of New York and this Loki were two completely different people...  
They arrived at the little road that lead to the crops. Loki was walking beside Tony, adjusting to his painfully slow pace without any comment.

“How are you feeling?” Loki asked him

“Good. It’s good to breathe some fresh air.”

“Tell me when you’re feeling tired. We shouldn’t push you too much on your first day of recovery.”

They had been walking for a while now and Tony was indeed starting to feel his legs tire. But he didn’t want to go back to his bed just yet.

“Let me just appreciate this a little longer.” He said, as they started walking through the crops.

“We can come back out later. You haven’t seen it yet, but this planet has two moons.” Loki said. “I thought you might want to see it.”

“Two moons? Are you freaking kidding me? Why haven’t you told me about this earlier?!”

“Because I knew you would be insufferable and it would have been that much harder to keep you in bed.” Loki said

“Touché.” Tony scoffed.

“You can be fascinated by such simple matters.”

“Well it must be hard to realize for you but I’m actually living a sci-if adventure here. It’s stuff movies are made of...except this is real!”

“I don’t recall you being that excited about Thor and his capabilities.”

“Well... I mean, no offense, but apart from his strength which is just a biological difference, your brother isn’t that amazing. Sure, he can summon lightning with a hammer but I’m sure given the time I could make something similar, with my amazing technology and after studying some meteorology. Bruce is more fascinating than Thor and he’s from our world! Honestly, of the ‘special’ Avengers, Thor’s probably the least interesting one. I mean no one has ever managed to replicate Cap’s serum!”

“So, you’re not amazed by Thor.”

“Hardly.” Tony replied, examining his fingernails. “You on the other hand...” he let his sentence drift off.

Loki gave him a piercing look. He shrugged, offering his best showman smile.

“You...are fascinating.”

“Am I?” Loki asked, his feigned curiosity undermined by his confident smile.

 _Damn he’s hot_. Tony bit his lower lip. He wasn’t sure if Loki was actually flirting back or just fishing for compliments, neither of which would have honestly surprised him. He put his hands in his pockets and continued walking without giving Loki the satisfaction of a reply. Loki didn’t push either, seemed like he already knew what it was anyways.

They walked a while in silence before Tony had to sit to rest his legs. He let himself fall against a tree, sighing in relief.

“I don’t think I can ever get tired of these trees.” He said, looking at the black trunk and purple foliage above his head.

“I have something for you, Stark.” Loki said, sitting down in front of him. “I thought about it, and I don’t think your chest device will interfere with the magic if it comes from magical artifact. It didn’t free you from the cuffs when we were in Afghár’s cell.”

Well that wasn’t exactly true but without a direct connexion to the arc reactor, the cuff’s magic had indeed worked just fine.

“I carved a spell on this” the god continued, summoning something in his hand. It appeared in a pool of green light. “The black wood from these trees is a wonderful magic conductor.”  
Loki handed the thing to him, so he could take a closer look. It was small piece of wood, carved into complicated interlacing, covered in small runes and patterns. Loki had made it into a pendant, hanging from a lace of leather.

“Offering jewelry before the first date?” Tony teased, “my my, you must really like me!”

“It should allow you to access the Allspeak” Loki explained, ignoring his comment.

“Seriously?”

Tony put the necklace on with delight.

“Shall we go back inside then? Seek out Slieghni and see if it works.” Loki said.

“Fuck yeah!”

Tony took the lead, forgetting his leg’s weakness in his excitement. When they went back to the guest house they were staying at, Slieghni greeted them with a smile.

“How was your walk?” She asked Loki.

Tony held back his excitement at having understood her.

“It was awesome. I’m feeling so much better.” He replied

Slieghni shot him a surprised look. “You understood...you can talk our language?”

“Not exactly.” Loki said, taking three glasses and serving them all tea. At least it was the equivalent of earth’s tea -leaves in boiling water- even if it tasted nothing like it.

“It’s Loki, he made this for me. It’s allows us to communicate beyond language.” Tony said, showing the pendant to their host.

“It allows you to use the Allspeak?”

“Yeah, you know about that?”

“Loki told me about it when I asked how she could understand us when you could not.”

“She?”

“The Allspeak cannot translate everything, languages are too complicated.” Loki said, “from what I understood, Slieghni’s specie is hermaphrodite. Hence, they only have one gender in their language.”

“And it translated it into the female equivalent in English? That’s odd. We do have a neutral pronoun.”

“The reasons of that are unknown to me. In Asgard, we have more variations in genders than you do in English. The translation I get from it seems more accurate.”

“Maybe my mind associates the meaning to more feminine traits? Feminine in our culture anyways... maybe the pronouns they use isn’t actually neutral.... just unique?”

“I don’t know. But you should get used to it. It won’t be your last time experiencing differences like these.”

“It’s really fascinating.” Tony whispered, examining the pendant with awe. “I always say that magic is just technology we can’t explain yet, but this is far beyond anything I can comprehend... It’s a piece of wood! With some carvings... how?”

“The way you look at the world is as if you looked at it through a keyhole. Even though what you managed to understand with such limited vision is impressive, you can never access full knowledge from that tiny hole of yours.”

“Please stop talking about my hole like that, it’s indecent.”

Slieghni scoffed quietly.

“It’s truly impressive though”, she said after she took a sip of not-tea. “I’ve seen my fair share of advanced alien technology...but never this kind.”

They talked a little more, about the planet, it’s people, about magic and technology, all while drinking tea. Tony was enjoying the hell out of being able to finally communicate with their host and learn more about her kind.

The daylight was falling, and they soon switched the tea to food. After they finished eating dinner, Slieghni took her leave, wishing them a good night.

“Now that you are well, we should think about continuing our journey back to the Nine Realms.” Loki said after a while. “It is good that we laid low here for a while. They probably aren’t looking for us in small villages like these.”

“Won’t it be a bit dangerous, then, to go into the city?”

“We can’t stay here forever. And the pod won’t fly.”

“I guess it’s a risk we’ll have to take. When can we leave?”

“Yassher, whom I introduced to you earlier, has offered to take us to the city, whenever we want.”

“We have no way of repaying them though. They’ve been very generous hosts, I feel kind of bad.”

“The only thing we have is the pod. I told Yassher about it and that’s why she offered to take us to the city: in exchange for it. She said she’d give us some money too, since the pod is worth more than just a trip to the city.”

“What’s she gonna do with it? It’s good for nothing.”

“Yassher is the town’s engineer. She’s take it down for spare parts.”

“Oh, okay. Cool.”

“As soon as you feel well enough to go, then we shall leave.”

“Then we should leave tomorrow. Let’s not waste any more time.”

“Good.”

Loki stood up.

“Do you want to go see the moons now?”

Tony smiled at the offer.

“Thought you’d never ask!”

 

* * *

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally done with the art for this chapter! Hope you liked it. I'm currently working on next chapter...hope I can update soon!


	7. Run and Hide

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry guy I’ve actually been done with this chapter for a while but kind of forgot about it.....and I also wanted to add art to it and I never had time to do so...Andrew then i de bought tu I lost lost everythijg cause my surface crashed.....  
> Anyways here’s the new chapter, it’s a bit longer than the previous ones cause i promised a friend I would try to do longer, 5k chapters.....From now on, all chapters will be at least 5k I hope!

Loki had found himself actually enjoying Stark’s company. He was surprised by his own patience towards the man while he was sick. Somehow he hadn’t felt annoyed by his weakness but rather respected the strength he’d shown. The warm satisfaction he had felt when the necklace had worked had also been quite unexpected. Sure, the spell work had been a pretty difficult one, he even suspected he might have invented an entirely new magical artifact for he had never before heard of or read anything about the likes of what he’d created for the mortal. Translators perhaps, but nothing that could actually _share_ the Allspeak. So, of course, he was proud of his work... yet the satisfaction he felt hadn’t really been for the necklace itself but rather Stark’s delighted expression when he had understood Slieghni, and his fascination for what Loki had created.

What transpired into Stark’s eyes was different from anything he’d known as a sorcerer. Frigga had taught him well, and she had been impressed more than a few time by his ability. But it was motherly pride, and she had known magic all her life. Thus, when she was impressed it felt like it was more because she underestimated Loki’s capabilities than because she was impressed by the magic in itself. Of course, Loki always enjoyed surprising her and going beyond her expectations. People who didn’t know magic were more often than not afraid by him when he used it. People who knew magic and understood it showed him respect whereas people who knew magic but didn’t understand it, such as Thor or the Warrior Three and Sif only bore disdain for it. Called it mere tricks, and _why don’t you fight fair for once, brother?_

Stark on the other hand....he was fascinated by magic and obviously had respect for it but not as much as to glorify it. No, he wanted to understand it, learn from it, dissect it like one of his inventions. Loki could almost hear the genius’s brain’s gears turning as he watched the god performing magic, trying to figure the science behind it and how the hell did it work? Not because he wanted the power for himself but because he refused to believe that there was anything he couldn’t understand and measure in some way or another. He also was pretty certain that Stark found it appealing, and particularly, it seemed, when Loki was involved.

The mortal’s reaction upon discovering the planet’s two moons had reminded Loki of how young the human actually was. He wondered if being with him somehow made him feel younger as well, like he’d reverted back to an early state, one before meeting Thanos, before the Bifrost incident and before discovering the truth about his heritage. He felt more carefree than he had in some years. He didn’t exactly dislike it, but it unsettled him.

 

 

That morning he had teleported the pod back to the village so that Yassher didn’t have to drag it all the way to her place herself. They had departed soon after that. Yassher had told them that if they went in the morning, they could make it to the city by the evening. It was almost a day’s ride from the village.  
Stark fell asleep not long after they hit the road. He had almost entirely recovered from the sickness but was still feeling tired. Yassher stayed silent and Loki mentally thanked her for not trying to make the conversation with small talk. The god watched the landscape absent-mindedly. After they passed a few villages, Loki couldn’t help his curiosity.

“How come your village is so much less advanced than all the ones we passed earlier?” He asked Yassher.

“Ours isn’t really a village per say” she said, not looking away from the road “the Pertras there have taken a vow to withdraw themselves from society.”

Loki supposed that Pertra designated Yassher and Slieghni’s kind as the village hadn’t hosted any other species, except from Stark and himself.

“Are you some kind of religious order? Monks?”

“You could say that. But we don’t really have any sacred duties nor do we worship any deity. Just have some moral rules we live by.”

“I see.” Loki said, “I’m surprised Slieghni hasn’t mentioned that.”

“We don’t necessarily talk about it. Sometimes the reason for this withdrawal is less than honorable. Some of us tend to avoid the subject.”

He chose not to press further despite his interest. He soon found out he didn’t need to, as Yassher continued:

“Some of us decide they want to seclude themselves from society, whether it’s because they find it overwhelming or just to seek peace and simplicity. Others feel like they need a fresh start where no one will judge them for who they are or what they’ve done. Sometimes people with regrets believe living by our rules is a way to earn forgiveness and repent themselves. It depends. I guess we’re all a bunch of misfits though.”

Loki supposed he could relate to that. Maybe that was why he had warmed up to their hosts so quickly. He fell silent and Yassher didn’t talk any further. Loki let his gaze wander. They passed several other villages, he saw a little more diversity as they were getting closer to the city. Species he had never heard of and a few species he had heard of but never actually seen. But he didn’t see any of the species he had met throughout his voyages in space when Thor and he were still young and had started to learn about the universe. He sighed. It was centuries ago and yet it felt even further away, like another life altogether that he was witnessing from a stranger’s eyes. The absence of known species confirmed his theory that they were further away than he had ever been in his lifetime. The worry he had felt on the escape pod upon discovering the star map settled once again at the pit of his stomach and he nibbled absently at his knuckles.

By the time they could see the city’s buildings, the sun was getting low in the sky, which took shades of darker red, that gave a more menacing feeling to it than its usual bright pink color. Stark groaned in the back sit and started to awaken.

“Are we there yet?” He whined then huffed.

“We are.”

Though the statement was unnecessary as Stark was already gaping at the windows with awed eyes.

“Fuck....” He whispered to himself.

Loki hid an amused smile behind his hand and kept his eyes on the scenery in front of them. The buildings were huge blocks of diverse materials. Some were transparent, others reflected the sky’s color. Most of them were in shades of dark hues, with little lights that appeared to serve as visual marks for the ships that were coming and going in the evening sky. The crowd of people walking up and down the street was made off a dozen different species with multiple skin colors ranging from Pertra gray to dark blue and bright yellow. Some were humanoid, other more animal-like but none of them looked quite like Loki and Stark which worried the god since he didn’t want to get too much attention.  
By the time they arrived, the sun had almost completely disappeared under the horizon. Yassher stopped the transport alongside a busy road.

“You’ll find the night market ahead of there, to buy some supplies and clothes. If you want passage out of this planet, the best way is to hang out in bars and talk to people. The crews usually come in this neighborhood to relax.” She told them before handing something over to Loki. “Here’s the money I still owe you for the pod. It should be just enough for a passage on a ship.”

“Thank you, for your hospitality.”

“Have a safe voyage.”

Loki smiled at her and bowed his head solemnly before exiting the vehicle and joining Stark in the streets. Yassher didn’t wait long before starting the engine and leaving them.

“It’s kinda weird to be on a journey without any luggage. It’s feels wrong. Too empty. Like we forgot something.”

“Let’s first find some clothes to blend in.”

“Blend in? Honestly my primary motive for finding clothes at this point is just to change out of these! I know we washed them but I still got blood stains on my shirt and it seriously feels gross. We should change our clothes and then burn them.”

“Can’t say I’m opposed to that idea.”

“Except your trousers.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Nothing.” Stark said dismissively, but Loki could swear he heard the mortal mutter something about his ass, before heading forward to join the crowd that was entering the market.

Worried he might lose him, Loki hurried after Stark and walked closer to him than was maybe strictly necessary. The people around them didn’t seem to be bothered by their appearances, even if they did get some curious looks, which meant they already had seen humans - or some alien resembling them- somewhere. Loki filed this information for later.

“I think that’s a clothes shop.” Stark said after a while. “Wanna go take a look?”

The trickster shrugged and followed him inside the small shop. It was actually bigger than it looked from the outside, the alley organized in such a way that made it look endless... like a labyrinth of clothes. Stark grabbed some here and there. He seemed fascinated by the difference of fashion between this planet and earth as well as the different kinds of fabrics it offered. He touched everything and seemed to struggle not to take all of the clothes with him to try on. Meanwhile, Loki limited himself to familiar fabrics that felt like leather and looked pretty much the same too. They headed for the fitting room. Loki had to try the clothes the old-fashioned way as he was unfamiliar with them. If he didn’t, he might magic it the wrong way which experience told him could be... quite uncomfortable.

He quickly figured out his favorite outfit out of the three he had chosen. The top wasn’t that different from his usual leather wears, a sleeveless tunic with a high collar that framed his neck tightly, but it was thinner and closer to the body as it lacked his usual armored reinforcements. It made for a leaner silhouette. The fabric was flexible and comfortable. The bottom of the tunic fell halfway through his thigh, with a slanting opening going from his ribs to his right leg, kept together by parallel laces. As the tunic was sleeveless, he wore a dark green shirt underneath. Each sleeve was reinforced by a sharp shaped leather piece that wrapped around the forearm and hand, leaving his thumb and the rest of his fingers uncovered but separated by a strip of leather. As for the bottoms, he hadn’t found any tight fitting ones like the ones he preferred - seemed like in this world they only made baggy pants. The black leathered boots he’d chosen clasped around his knees, the bottom of his pants stuck inside of them.  
He looked over himself in the mirror and, satisfied, came out of his fitting room.

“Are you done?”, he asked Stark.

“Almost.”

A few minutes later, the man came out of his own fitting room with a theatrical gesture. Why he had taken so long to dress was a mystery.

“How do I look?” He asked with a grin, opening his arms wide to show off his outfit.

Stark was outrageously underdressed. The white blouse he had chosen was thin and almost transparent. The front was wide open and displayed his arc reactor for everyone to see, along with his well sculpted and scarred chest, and he had pulled the puffed sleeves up to his elbows. The pants he took were falling low on his hips and he was bare-foot.

“Positively scandalous.” Loki replied, with an unimpressed voice”

“I’d even say sinful.”

Loki scoffed. Stark indeed had nothing to be ashamed of in his figure. Though Loki felt strangely possessive of the sight.

“This won’t do. You shouldn’t expose your chest device like this.”

“Such a mood killer.” Stark mumbled but, still smiling, started to button up his shirt.  
Loki grabbed a brown piece of clothes that looked similar to a Midgardian waistcoat, with a loose cut and closed by laces. He handed it to Stark as well as a wide scarf, wine red with thin golden embroideries. The man put on all the clothes he was being handed. The scarf was falling in such a way it completely concealed the glow from the reactor.

“Better.” Loki said with a smile. “Have you chosen a pair of shoes to wear?”

“Yep.”

Stark put them on to show him. They were shorter boots than his, buckled on the side.

“What about a belt? These pants fall quite low on your hips....” he commented checking Stark out critically.

“I took one”, the man said holding up a large band of leather. “But I couldn’t figure out how to put it on....” he explained with a sheepish smile.

He pulled the belt around himself and tried again, obviously struggling to understand the mechanics of it. “There are just too many buckles and laces and...eh, I have no fucking idea what goes where...? What are these even for?”  
Loki stepped closer to Stark and took the belt from his hands. The man froze.

“May I?”

“Yeah. Sure.”

As he worked the buckles and laces from the belt, he was so close to Stark he could feel his shallow breaths on his face. The belt wasn’t that hard to figure out, much less for someone of Stark’s intellect. Loki smirked.

“All done.”

“Should we choose another outfit, to have a clean, spare one?” Stark asked after clearing his throat nervously.

Loki nodded his agreement. They both headed back into the aisles.  
The second outfit Loki chose was an asymmetrical black top with regular sleeve for the right arm and a sort of cape that covered the left one - perfect for hiding weapons, he noted. The collar was slightly scooped out in the front but mostly straight. The pants he grabbed were dark brown and wider than the previous ones, with a band of golden fabric on both side.

“I found something for you.” Stark said, sliding his head into the fitting room and handing him a cloth.  
Loki was shirtless as he turned to face the mortal, who he found was blatantly checking him out.

“See something you like?” He teased.

“Maybe.” Stark teased back.

“Obviously.”

“Don’t flatter yourself too much.” He said, throwing the cloth at Loki’s face since the god still hadn’t taken it from him. The Asgardian caught it with a swift movement. Stark was gone before he could reply. Loki quickly looked the cloth over. It seemed to be a long, black tunic. Nothing particularly special about it. He put it on.

He had been wrong.

The cloth wasn’t a long tunic. It was an actual dress, some kind of skin-tight gown. He had been focused on the front while looking it over and hadn’t noticed that the back was completely bare from his shoulder blades to the crook of his ass. Discovering himself in the mirror, he rolled his eyes.

“Shit!”, a voice came from behind, “I thought it would be funny but it actually suits you.”

Loki turned towards Stark, whose face had reappeared in the opening of the fitting room’s entrance.

“You should take your pants off.” Tony said, “for entirely practical reasons of course. I mean, they’re just unflattering with this dress.”

Loki grinned and snapped his fingers, vanishing the pants with magic. The dress gloriously hugged his lean figure, not leaving much for the imagination. His audience swallowed.

“God, you’re hot.” Stark huffed, biting his lower lip.

The man kept showing interest in him with his comments, but there was no way to know if the interest was genuine or if he was just playing around. Not that Loki minded playing. Stark’s self-assured attitude showed he knew he was attractive, which the god couldn’t deny he was. It seemed like the mortal was used to seducing people and charming his way into their mind. It was almost cute that he thought he could do that to the god of tricks and mischief himself...however, Loki had to recognize talent when he saw it. Stark had everything to appeal, the looks and the intellect.

“You seem surprised.” He said, raising an eyebrow. He had nothing to envy the billionaire.

The mortal rolled his eyes at his self confidence.  
Loki found himself much more relaxed around Stark than he should have been comfortable with. The fact that it didn’t worry him as much as it should have also bothered him. Despite these feelings, he decided to slip into the game and they continued this little dance of grabbing clothes for each other to try on, checking each other out and criticizing each other’s fashion style. With Loki’s royal background and Stark’s wealthy upbringing, they both had defined tastes in couture and certain expectations for fabrics, which quickly made for a piss contest between the two of them.

“Is that Midgardian standards for clothes?” Loki scowled at something Stark had chosen for him “No wonder you lots are so poorly dressed.”

“Says the man who’s been wearing the same piece of leather for a few hundred years” Tony sneered at him.

The continued bickering with each other for a while. Loki took a mischievous pleasure vanishing any unpleasing cloth or accessory directly from Stark’s body, making him startle and flush. He found he was actually enjoying himself and relaxed in a way he hadn’t been in decades, centuries even.

He should have known it was a mistake.

It all happened very fast. He was waiting for Stark to get changed when he froze, all of his senses in alert.

_Danger._

His head snapped at the shop’s door and his eyes found a familiar hooded figure entering, followed by a three guards. Loki disappeared behind the alleys, hiding himself from sight. On his way, he discreetly grabbed two coats and slid inside Stark’s fitting room.

“Wow there hot stuff, what-“

Loki slammed a hand on the mortal’s mouth to shut him up.

“Afghár”, he whispered furiously, “he’s here, he found us.”

Stark’s eyes widened in confusion and fear.

“We need to go.” Loki said.

And with that, he teleported them away from the shop.

As soon as they appeared outside, Loki threw one of coat he’d grabbed at Stark.

“Cover yourself.” He said, while doing the same, already walking away. Tony stumbled after him.

They didn’t get very far. Afghár and his three guards appeared in a flash of dark purple light, surrounding them.

“Not so fast”, he snarled.

Loki swore. He couldn’t summon any weapon to fight back, all his weapons were too far for him to reach. Loki ducked as his opponent threw the same black energy at him as he had in Midgard. He couldn’t risk loosing his magic now. He launched himself at one of the guards, taking him by surprise. He punched him in the stomach and then slid himself behind him and used his body as a shield as Afghár shot another beam at him. The guard screamed in pain. Loki snatched his weapon from his loosened grip and fired at Afghár, who raised a magical shield to protect himself. The other guard started firing at him and he hid back behind the body of the one he had taken hostage. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Stark running from the shots of the last guard.

“Stark!” He shouted, throwing the weapon at the mortal.

Stark caught the gun, still running, and shot blindly behind him. Loki teleported himself behind the guard firing at him and snapped his neck, killing him instantly. He rolled over, barely avoiding another shot from Afghár. In flashes of dark purple light, half a dozen of other guards appeared around them.

Stark let out a panicked “Fuck!”

Loki had to make a decision in a split second. Teleporting them to a place he hadn’t been before was incredibly dangerous, they could end up embedded in a concrete wall, suffocating, or deep inside a lake, drowning...it was like moving blindly but at speed light. He looked around them. He didn’t have a choice, they were surrounded. Loki appeared behind Stark, grabbed his arm then closed his eyes and teleported them away.  
When he opened his eyes, he let out a shaky breath. He was looking at a wall that wasn’t more than 3 centimeters away from his face. Somehow he had managed to teleport them inside a relatively large hallway, avoiding the catastrophe by a few centimeters. As he turned to face Stark, a flash of purple light appeared at the end of the hallway. His eyes widened. _How...?_ Stark reacted incredibly fast and pulled them into a side hallway that was diverging from the one they had appeared in. They ran as silently as they could manage.

“Put on your hood to hide your face!” Stark ordered “ and you need to stop using your magic.”

“My magic is the only thing keeping us alive right now.”

“I need you to trust me on this.”

“ _Trust_ you?” Loki snarled. Stark was asking him to give up their only advantage, the only thing giving them a chance to escape their enemy. And he was demanding _trust_?!

“Loki, listen to m-“

Anger sparked up inside of Loki.

“No, Stark, a _mortal_ doesn’t give orders to a _god_. If you think that just because-“

Stark slammed him against the wall, taking him by surprise.

“Listen jackass” he hissed, panting “they’re obviously tracking us by some kind of means. Now the only correlation I see between all the times they’ve appeared is your magic.”

“That’s-“

“ In New York, after you teleported us in that alley. And earlier, how could they possibly have known we were in that particular shop? Also, both time you teleported us, they were able to find us right away which should technically be impossible.”

“This cannot be...I can conceal my magic from Heimdall and even the Allfather himself!” Loki snapped, annoyed, pushing the mortal away from him.

“And I’m guessing this way of concealing your magic is also magical?”

Loki was taken aback by this question. Stark took his silence as confirmation and shot him a triumphant look.

“They must have identified a specific energy signature emanating from your magic which is how they are tracking it, and us. You need to stop using your magic altogether, we can’t take any risk.”

Loki felt inexplicably hurt at that, but Stark’s theory made sense and was probably right so he decided not to dwell on it.

“Okay,” he muttered through gritted teeth “let’s go.”

He turned away from the mortal and covered his head with the coat’s hood.

***

The hallway opened up in a crowded street and they were able to slid themselves in the mass of people walking up and down the street. Others wore the same kind of coats as them, allowing them to blend in perfectly. They passed a few guards who thankfully didn’t notice them. Seemed like Afghár had told his men to split up to cover more ground, which made things a little more complicated but also lessened the chance of them being spotted and surrounded too quickly.

“We need to find a way out of this planet as soon as possible!” Stark whispered to him as they passed yet another pair of guards who almost saw them.

“I believe we need to find a bar to achieve that.”

Not using his magic was harder than Loki had anticipated. He needed a constant reminder, it was as if he had his eyes closed and had to stop himself from doing something as natural as opening them to look at his surroundings while walking....It took a lot of concentration. He knew he relied a lot in his magic as a sense, he had realized it when he had been bound from it for the first time. But not being able to use it and _consciously_ not using it were different things. He found the latter to be harder than he’d imagined and it irritated him.  
They soon came across a flashy establishment. They could hear loud muffled noises from inside, people talking and the pounding of music.

“I think that’s a bar.” Stark stated flatly.

They entered the building and music washed over them. Stark grinned widely.

“Glad to know some things are universal.” He shouted to Loki above the noise.

He seemed to be in his element, shedding his coat to be able to move more freely. Loki kept his on, despite how hot it was inside the bar, following Stark like a shadow. He noticed that the weapon he had stolen from the guard earlier was safely put away in the mortal’s holster. He hadn’t even realized he _had_ a holster. Stark walked further into the bar swinging at the music’s rhythm, bending on people to ask them questions with charming smiles. One of the people he talked to indicated someone at the end of the bar and Stark thanked him with a curt bow of his head.

Stark approached a creature who was drinking a saturated green liquor, beside another who was the same race as Slieghni and her kind, a Pertra. Her red hair was cut really short and she raised her pale eyes at them when Stark started talking.

“I heard you’re the captain of a ship that is sailing away soon.” He said.

The creature, a blue-skinned humanoid with entirely black eyes and a huge skull that fell back slightly in a crooked form didn’t bother looking up as it raised the glass to its lips and took a sip from it.

“Me and my partner seek passage from this planet.” Stark said, seeing as the person he was talking to wasn’t reacting.

“We do not take passengers.” The captain said sharply, finally looking up at them.

“I’m sure we can come to some sort of arrangement.” Stark smiled, sitting down in front of the two aliens.

Loki stayed standing beside him, tensed. He kept silent, listening to the exchange with growing discomfort.  
The man of Iron was indeed very talented, as he had assessed earlier. But what had made him enjoy his company before now made him feel uneasy. He was managing brilliantly to convince the captain to take them with its ship and Loki slowly realized that Stark didn’t need him now that he had the Allspeak and was armed and especially now that Loki couldn’t even use his magic. Afghár was going after Loki, not Stark, and if the mortal’s theory was right, it meant that Loki was more of a liability to Stark than anything else. Could he still trust the mortal? Without his magic, Loki needed a partner more than he was comfortable admitting. He clenched and unclenched his hands on his side.

“You partner is awfully silent.” The Pertra remarked, eyeing Loki with curiosity.

The captain had introduced her as their Lieutenant. Loki smiled at her. After all, he was still the Silvertongue.

The captain and their lieutenant soon agreed to take them on. With both Stark and him using their persuasive skills and charms, they hadn’t really stood a chance. They even agreed to lower the fee of the transport in exchange for handwork. Loki showed them the money then said sharply:

“We will pay you once we’re aboard your ship and out of orbit of this planet. Deal?”

“Deal.” The captain said solemnly.

Stark rose from his sit.

“Well, then...call us when we leave or whatever”, he said.

When he passed beside Loki, he winked at him.

“We make a good team.” He said.

Loki took a hold of his arm.

“Don’t go far.” He hissed.

Stark looked him over for a long moment with a strange expression.

“I won’t.” He said finally, before jerking his arm out of Loki’s grip.

The god watched as Stark went on the dance floor, swinging his hips at the rhythm of the music. He had left his coat on one of the chairs, discarding it without a thought. Loki sank deeper into the crowd. He ended up against a wall, the furthest one from the entrance. From there, he could keep his eyes both on Stark and the rest of the bar, without being seen by the guards that might come into the establishment, looking for them.

He slowed his breath and concentrated on his magic, pushing it deep inside of him, as far from his reach as possible...when he opened his eyes, he felt surprisingly weak. Letting out a shaky breath, he let his eyes wander in the bar, seeking Stark’s familiar silhouette. He felt himself relax when he found the mortal and scowled at himself. _Sentiments_.

He had to be prepared to be betrayed. This thought brought a bitter taste into his mouth and his frown only deepened.

 

After what seem like an eternity, the captain and lieutenant finally rose to their feet. They gestured at Stark, who recovered his coat on his way to join them. Loki was beside him before the mortal had even time to wonder where he was. A few others joined them, eyeing the two of them with suspicion. Loki took down his hood, knowing it would inspire more trust. The lieutenant explained the situation and the tension lessened but some members of the crew still looked at them wearily. Stark smiled at them and introduced Loki and himself, not quite managing to make them relax but did earn a few smiles back. When they got out on the street, Stark put on his coat as Loki hid back under the shadow of his hood.

 

As they marched down the road, Loki forced himself to relax. Soon they would be out of this planet. Hopefully out of Afghár’s reach. They’ll finally be on the move. It felt like progress and it felt like relief.

Loki, Stark and the rest of the crew turned in an alley and disappeared into the night.


End file.
